The Bardic Mage
by Haystack
Summary: My first Misty fic. This first scene is set similar to TAKE A THIEF but takes place years later. A new Bardic Trainee comes to Haven
1. Rough arrivals

The wagon moved along the road at a peaceful speed, but certainly faster than he would have walked. Jaymee settled back into the bags of grain, wiggling a bit to make a comfortable "chair". He watched the road behind him, stretching for miles, back to the village he had called home. He would never again have to face the other boys jeers and fists, or watch his mother cry herself to sleep from missing her husband. Best of all, he would never have to be with Father Dernest again. Shivering at the thought of the priest, he reached over and rested his hand on his pack. Inside the burlap was everything he had ever owned, including the set of pipes his father had made him the year before the accident. Those reeds were the reason he was sitting in the back of a wagon, heading north, and to the gates of Haven.  
  
Jaymee awoke with a start as the wagon came to a jerky halt. He sat up, and heard what sounded like thunder that never seemed to fade. He got to his knees and looked over the front seat of the wagon, and saw the walls of the city. The traffic through the gates was slow, there were guards stopping some of them and searching the contents, and tax collectors assessing the goods being taken into the city. The woman driving the wagon looked down at him and smiled. "You might as well get down and walk, it would be faster for you. Them tax men are gonna have a field day with ol' Gertha's grain." The noise he had heard was the sounds of the city.  
  
"Thank you ma'am. I hope I can repay you one day." He gathered his belongings and jumped from the side of the wagon. The woman waved at him, and he waved back smiling. There was a good stream of foot traffic too, and he slipped between people heading to the gates, trying to get ahead of everyone. Finally the people crowded so close together that even he could not fit between them, and he was slowed to the crawl of the mob. Then suddenly, the crowed started to thin, and he realized he was in the city.  
  
Jaymee took off, running as fast as he could along the main avenue. Excitement carried him down the cobblestone streets, following the crowds. After several minutes of this he stopped to get his breath, and realized he had no idea where he was. The crowds were thinner here, and what he had thought was the main road did not look so grand now that he was really looking at it. In fact the people around here looked a little rough, and eyed his suspiciously. He began to head back the way he came.  
  
Haven had grown in the last decade. The wars with Karse, and the Mage Storms had swelled the number of refugees and poverty stricken in the capital. The New Wall, the one that Jay had seen from the wagon, had been finished two years before. Quickly it had become filled and the temporary housing the city had put up became more permanent by the month. This was the area that the young boy had stumbled into, and since he was dressed in simple country garb, was safe from thieves mugging him, but there were other ways that the boy might bring money to an enterprising person.  
  
Jay stopped at another corner, trying to get his bearings. He did not remember passing any of these shops. He was about to follow a large group of better-dressed people when a hand came down on his shoulder. He jerked and turned to see the hand belonged to a thin man dressed in the rough breeches and tunic favored by just about everyone. His face was pinched, and pock marked, with a large nose and a set of buckteeth that reminded Jay of a rat, a very big rat. He was about to scream when the man brought his hand up and made a shushing sound.  
  
"Sorry to startle you good sir. I don't mean to scare no one. I was wondering if you was lost? M' name is Conna, and I grew up in these streets. Where do you belong little sir? I can be taking you there right now!"  
  
The flurry of speech and the friendliness in his voice lulled Jay, and he just nodded at first. Then he realized the man had asked a question. "I need to get to the Bardic College. I have my admittance and everything." He pulled a much-crumpled letter from inside his tunic. The broken seal was still plain, and the man whistled.  
  
"You a might young to be singer ain't ya?"  
  
"Well, I don't think I will be a Bard till I am grown more. But I have to learn all those songs! I need to start right away."  
  
"M' guess so. Well, you look right hungry at the moment, why don't you come with me for lunch, my treat, and then I'll take ye to the Collegium!"  
  
The boy's stomach rumpled and he reluctantly nodded to the man about the food. They headed off deeper into the shanty, and soon stopped at a vendor's stand, where he ordered Jaymee a meat pie and himself a sausage. They sat at on a nearby statue base. Jay dug into the food like he was starving. He finished the last bite, and stood up ready to continue on to his new home. Wave after wave of dizziness began to engulf him, and he fell into the arms of Conna. He was picked up, and the motion again caused his head to spin, until he lost consciousness.  
  
Jaymee came awake with a start as cold water splashed over his face. He sputtered and sat up, looking around. He realized that he was naked, and had some kind of collar around his neck. His bottom lip was also sore on the inside of his mouth. That was as far as he got before he was hauled into a standing position by a callused hand and shaken. "Wake up you lazy sprig. " The hand smacked him on his exposed buttocks. "Stand still." Confused and frightened the boy complied as he was roughly scrubbed with a brush and harsh soap. Then came another bucket of cold water, and another ungentle session with a coarse towel. Still mostly wet he was hauled over to what he could now make out as a wire cell with several more boys his age. He was thrown through the door, and locked in.  
  
Most of the other boys avoided each other, and quickly moved away from the new prisoner. The tried to cover their nudity with their hands, and never looked anyone else in the face. A few were not so easily cowed. One was a boy that looked like he was several years older than the rest. He had a mean face, and if anyone got to near him he was lash out in violence. The other two looked as young as Jaymee, if a bit thinner, and they watched everyone with equal amounts of suspicion and sorrow. The two of them motioned for Jay to join them, and after a second's pause, he moved to them. One of the boys put his finger to his lips for Jay to remain silent.  
  
After a few moments, the man who had scrubbed Jaymee came back in, carrying a cruel looking stick with a hook on the end. He looked over the boys, and snorted, then he left through another door. The mood in the cage changed as the door closed and locked. Several of the boys began a soft crying, a few just lay down. The large mean looking one started to pick on the closest one, but when his victim did not respond, the bully lay down and went to sleep. Finally, it seemed safe to talk, but in a hushed whisper.  
  
"Where are we?" Jaymee asked.  
  
"Slavers hideout."  
  
"But slavery is illegal!"  
  
"Shows what you know. We got nipped and not we will be meat for someone. Might as well get used to it."  
  
Jaymee refused to take that as an answer. He moved over to the door of the cage and felt for the lock. It was a large iron padlock, rusted a little in places but strong enough to keep a 14 year old boy from breaking out. He tried the wire the cage was made of but it was tight and too strong to break. Finally, after half an hour of trying he sat back and glared at the door of the cage. He was not going to sit here and wait for them to sell him like a ham.  
  
He decided he needed to think about what to do, and began to hum a song. The tune was known throughout the country, though words were different depending on where you were. Jaymee's favorite version was one about a traveler returning to a home he loved. The melody was upbeat but there was sadness underlying it all, because the traveler knew that this time he would not leave again, he was going home to die. As he reached the chorus, he could not longer hold back. His voice took over, and he was in that place in his mind that time did not pass, and the world was a swirling lake of color. He reached out, and touched the colors with something that felt like a "hand" and the watched the waves his touch caused. They spread out, carrying all his pent up anger and fear, leaving him calm but exhausted.  
  
"You in there shut up!" the heavy pole jammed into Jaymee's side and knocked him back to the real world. "No talk'n. If I catch you again, I'll take strips out of your hide maggot!" Jaymee crawled to be back of the cage and held his side. All the boys in the cages around him were staring at him. Several had tears in their eyes. His Bardic gift must have taken over. He felt drained, unable to think, so he curled up on the ground and fell asleep. 


	2. Saving Graces

Chapter 2  
  
The noise woke Jaymee up. It sounded like an army was marching above them. The other boys were awake, and most looked scared. Crouched in the cages, it seemed like hours before the door that lead out of the basement room opened and the burly guard and the man Jaymee knew as Conna came running down the stares. The guard was wounded, and blood stained the grimy tunic he wore. Conna was unharmed, but in a panic. They were speaking in a language that Jaymee could not understand. The guard gestured at the cages and grabbed the sword at his side. Conna shook his head and pointed at the stairs. The guards paused and then nodded, and the two ran out of sight of the cages. There were some peculiar grinding noises and then silence.  
  
Until the next people burst into the room, dressed in white uniforms a few showing brilliant red splashes across them. There were 3 of them; all had swords drawn and a wary stance. One, a woman, moved over to the cages, "You were right Devyn. Looks like a slavers den. Sometimes people just disgust me."  
  
"That may be Lu," said a man, "but right now we need to take care of their prisoners. Can any of you boys tell me where your captors are?"  
  
At first no one spoke up, then one of the boys in Jaymee's cage started to talk, and that brought them all out of their shock, and everyone started talking. "One at a time," Lu yelled over the din. "You there, " she pointed at the first boy what were you saying?"  
  
"I said that Conna and his guard came in and ran to the back wall, behind our cages. There was a noise, and then nothing until you came in."  
  
"Blast!" said the third, and until now silent herald. He walked over, out of view like Conna and the guard had. "Yeah I can see the seam around this paneling. But it looks like the opening mechanism has been broken from the other side. We can't open it."  
  
"That's ok Rey, lets get these kids out of these cages and into some clothes," said Devyn. " I am sure they can all give us descriptions to put out wanted posters. "  
  
The boys all crowded to the front of the cages. The Herald called Lu went up stairs and came back a few seconds later with pile of towels and blankets. Devyn inspected the locks on the cages, and used a thick knife he was carrying to pry the cages open. Rey helped pass out the coverings to the boys who gratefully covered up. By the time they were all out, a squad of the city guard had turned up and they were starting to question the boys about where they were from.  
  
First they were taken upstairs, and discovered they were in a warehouse of some kind. There was a small office on one end and this was where the boys ended up. The heralds lined up the boys in order of size. The youngest went first, to get them out of this place as quickly as possible. Several were boys snatched from outlying towns and farms while visiting the city, similar to Jaymee. A few were runaways, fleeing conditions they thought were unbearable, until the drug Conna used on them started working. Most it turned out were orphans or children of the poor that were sold by their families for a silver coin or two. Those that had homes wanted to return a swiftly as possible.  
  
As they questioned the others, Jaymee got plenty of time to watch the heralds. Devyn was older, gray hair was mixed evenly through his temples, and laugh lines creased his eyes. He was obviously in charge of the other two. Lu was a large woman with dirty blonde hair and a face only a mother could love. She looked to have more muscle mass than Devyn and Rey combined. Her voice carried her anger at the circumstances the boys had faced, and each time one of the children said their families had sold them, she would came closer and closer to an explosion. Several times she had to leave the office and the warehouse. The third herald, Rey, looked about eighteen years old. He was wiry, and had short dark hair. He smiled often, making him look friendly.  
  
It took over a candlemark to get to Jay's turn. The guards searching the hideout still had not found any of the boy's clothes, so he was still wrapped in a blanket. He clutched it close as he sat in the chair across from the Heralds. Devyn and Rey smiled at him, and Lu turned another page in the journal she had kept notes in. She started coldly with, "Name?"  
  
"Um, Jaymee Lawsons, miss."  
  
"And where are you from?"  
  
"Um, my Ma lives in Coopers Hearth, about 3 days southwest of here, miss."  
  
"Are you a runaway?"  
  
"No, miss! I was commin' to get into the Bard School. I had a letter and everything from Bard Dorian. But I guess I got to go home, because they took the letter and my pipes."  
  
Rey looked at the youth and smiled. "If you were good enough that the bards sent you to the Collegiums to study, I don't think the loss of a letter will hinder you. I'll take you to Bardic as soon as we finish here." The Herald patted the boy's shoulder and then asked for Jay to recall all of the events that got him to where he was. He carefully recited his story from the wagon ride to finding himself in the cages below them.  
  
"So do you know how long you were singing?" asked Devyn.  
  
"Oh. no. When I slip into a trace like that I lose track of time. I don't think it was too long, because my throat didn't hurt too much when they hit me to make me stop. Maybe a candle mark?"  
  
"The other boys said it was more like two. Did you do anything while you sang?"  
  
"No, I was just thinking. I wanted out, but I could not figure out the lock." He hesitated for a moment, and then added slowly, "Sometimes when I trance, I see a pool of color. This time, I was surrounded by it. I thought maybe I could touch it this time, so I tried. It made me feel better, and then they hit me."  
  
"Ah! You're the one!" said Lu.  
  
"Well, that definitely explains things. Don't worry, Jay, you've done nothing wrong. In fact, we have you to thank for leading us to these men. We have been tracking them for months. But, it really is best if I leave explanations to those better at it than I am. Just promise me if you do another one of these trances, you won't touch anything unless there is extreme danger." Devyn watched Jaymee, a serious look on his face.  
  
"Ok, I won't. But he wondered what was he had done.  
  
"Ok, that's over, come on lets get you to the Singers!" said Rey. They headed out the door. 


	3. The Test

CHAPTER 3  
  
A group of herald trainees had brought down some spare uniforms for the boys. The one that Jaymee got was a faded blue with a patch and ragged hem, and had probably been on the rag pile. It was the smallest the generic uniforms came, and hung loose on the small 14 year old. After he was dressed Rey took him out into the street in front of the warehouse. Standing in the shade of the building were the 3 Companions. One of them moved to meet them as they exited.  
  
Rey put his arm around the horse-like head and hugged the mare close. The equine leaned into the embrace and Rey stumbled. "Alright silly, I'll introduce you. Jaymee, this is Dailiegh, my Companion, Dai, this is Jaymee, who is going to be one of the most famous Bards in all of Valdemar one day." Dai bowed her head to him, and then rested her forehead on his chest. Jay slowly scratched her behind the ear until she pulled back and looked into his eyes. No one being caught in that gaze would ever mistake her for a horse.  
  
"Well, she approves of you. And she says that you should have known better than to trust a stranger. Companions are always so full of wisdom, especially after you have figured it out for yourself! Come on, I'll help you up." Rey lifted the youngster with ease and helped him get settled in front of the strange saddle, before mounting himself. "Ok let's go Dai."  
  
Rey did not use any reins, and held on lightly to Jaymee as they headed for the Palace. As they climbed the road, Rey would point out things to the boy. "That is the Purple Cat. Best tavern in Haven for working folks like us. Oh, there is the closest market to the Gates. It is always cheaper to come down to the markets than to buy from the foot vendors at the gates. They just come back here to reload anyway. That street takes you to the fairgrounds.." They finally reached the gates a half candle mark later and entered the grounds.  
  
"The gate we just came through is the Chosen's Gate. All the companions who go out to pick new heralds came in through that gate. Over there is Companion's Field." Jaymee stared wide eyed at the white forms in the field.  
  
"Companions can have babies?" He blushed red as Rey laughed and Dai snorted in amusement.  
  
"Most of them are born just like we are. But a few come from. well we are not really sure where, but they end up in the Grove. Usually the Monarch's Companion and the Monarch's Own Companion are 'Grove-born'. Dai walked up to a stable in the field and stopped. Rey got down and helped Jaymee off. The Herald then took off all of Dai's tack, and quickly brushed her down.  
  
"Ok Vanity, I have to get Jay to his new home, but I will come back later and do a better job. Come on Jay, this way."  
  
They walked up towards the buildings. Again Rey played tour guide, showing the wide eyed Jaymee the sights. "That is the Healer's Collegium, over there is the Palace, and next to it the Heralds Collegium and Wing and there," Rey said with a flourish "is the Bardic Collegium."  
  
After the last day, the building seemed even more unreal than he had imagined. The worked stone walls seemed to call to him, and to whatever it was in him that gave him his ability to sing. The Herald led the way to a nondescript door in the side of the building. Jaymee did not hesitate to enter, following his rescuer down a hallway full of doors. They stopped in front of the last door and Rey knocked. "Come in" said a muffled voice.  
  
The office was plain. There were several instrument stands holding different stringed or wind piece, and in one corner was a hand drum. The desk was covered with sheets of vellum, not an inch of the desktop could be seen. Two plain chairs has escape the clutter some how, and a third was occupied by a man dressed in a bright red tunic and breeches to mark him as a bard. He looked to be in his late forty's with thinning hair going a peppery grey, and a slight potbelly. He was inspecting one of the various papers from the desk top, with a stylus in one hand and a blotter in the other.  
  
"No, no, no! What have I told you about syncopation?" The stylus jabbed into a pot of red ink and darted across the paper. He set the blotter down on the wet ink and put the stylus on a piece of old leather. He then looked up at the two people standing in his office. "So Herald Reykel, you have brought us a new student?"  
  
"Master Chardeen, head of the Bardic College, and it appears he is now all-knowing too!" Rey laughed. "So, who sent you the runner?"  
  
"You should let an old man have some secrets! Heralds are not the only Gifted people there are. It was Dev's idea I think. I am expecting the second half of that message any time now. But while we wait, why don't you tell me who you are, and why you think you should be a Bard?"  
  
Both Master Chardeen and Rey's eyes turned to the young man. Jaymee froze for a split second, and then closed his eyes and began to sing a tune that had been building in his head while riding Dai thru the city. It was pitched slightly higher than he normally sang, to carry the effect of the Companions hooves on the cobbles, and the tones were clear and airy, to simulate the blue of her eyes. The melody was bright, like Dai's coat, and the tempo fast like her trot. He felt himself slipping into the trance again, unusual for it to happen this soon again. He saw the colors again, but this time, there was a bright beacon near, shining and calling him. It was all he could do to not reach out and pull those colors into himself. There seemed to be a buildup of static electricity around him.  
  
Jaymee pulled himself out of the trance before he could lose track of time. He finished what seemed to be a movement in the music, and let the song fade. He opened his eyes, and found that the little room had several more people in it. Most were dressed in the scarlet of a bard, but some were in the russet of students. Rey, the only herald there stood out in his whites. There was nothing but silence. Then slowly, someone started clapping. Soon the whole room was clapping and cheering, even Master Chardeen. Rey, still standing next to Jay, embraced Jay and said in his ear, over the noise, "Thank you. And Dai says that you can come and see her anytime you want." Jay was shocked to see tears on the heralds face.  
  
The headmaster raised his hand, and slowly quiet came to the room. "Well, I guess that answers my question. You most certainly have one of the most powerful Bardic Gifts I have ever heard of. You obviously also have the creativity. Do you play an instrument?"  
  
"My dad made me a set of pipes before he died. But they were stolen when I got here."  
  
"I am sorry about that. I know a new set of pipes will not replace what you have lost, but we will get you some. It seems you have talent too. All three qualities and at least two are very well developed. I have a feeling you are going to outshine us all. Now, can I get your name so I can add you to our rolls?" 


End file.
